ANTONY SAVVAS 400G+
BEYOND 400G: Shining a light on the future of high-speed optical networks
We’ve had the widescale roll-out of commercial 200G and the bedding down of the first 400G deployments, so what comes next in the speed jigsaw, how will it be introduced and what is driving it? Antony Savvas takes a close look at where the current state of the industry.
W hen it comes to demand for higher speeds, hyperscale data centre investment that is generating innovation in equipment and processes is key, along with infrastructure requirements for artificial intelligence, machine learning, IoT and edge computing. Among other things, high-speed technologies including application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) and graphics processing units (GPUs) are being developed to support these applications at speeds of 200G, 400G and 800G. Infrastructure equipment provider Panduit
Future of Fibre Optics in the Data Centre Networks.” White paper author, Dr Rick Pimpinella, a Panduit fellow in fibre optic research, said, “Wherever you look, from components and devices to systems and applications, data centre communications infrastructure is being tasked to enable higher data rates and greater bandwidth. As a consequence, data centre operators need clear information to guide how they implement or upgrade network infrastructure to meet these requirements. At the same time, data centre users and customers require insight into the challenges of their service providers so that they can buy with confidence.” 400G Mervyn Kelly, EMEA marketing director at Ciena, confirms that 400G is well- established. He said programmable 400G system deployments in the optical industry, through Ciena’s WaveLogic Ai coherent technology, for instance, have
gained traction for over a year. Kelly said, “In the coming year, we will continue to see disruptive advancements in this space both in the long haul and metro/access parts of the network, driven by new innovations in coherent optics, flexible intelligent photonics and advanced software. With demand for 5G, online video streaming, gaming and cloud computing only continuing to grow, intelligent networks with high-speed connectivity, increased fibre capacity and optimised wavelength management promise to make 400G and beyond an enticing proposition for businesses, network operators and service providers.”
STANDARDS And what about that “beyond”? ADVA, for instance, has already demonstrated
has published a white paper, “Light into Money – The
DR RICK PIMPINELLA PANDUIT
MERVYN KELLY EMEA MARKETING DIRECTOR
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| ISSUE 16 | Q1 2019
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